Every Baby Needs a Blog

May - December

2012-01-03T00:06:00.000-08:00

Berkeley Botanical Gardens

2012-01-03T00:04:00.000-08:00

Three Years Old

2011-06-09T23:24:00.001-07:00

Olivia Moon is now three, and without Mommy being gender biased, Olivia is in LOVE with princesses. She wants to be a princess and loves everything that is princesses. It is pretty cute actually. She has a pretty good grasp of singing the alphabet, though she usually skips w-z. She can write "O" and "D". She counts (aka recites) pretty well all the way through 20, but when it comes to actually counting, that is another story. She's begun scooping with imaginary objects and really enjoys going to IKEA and playing in the setups. She likes to serve me tea or cook for me there. :)
She enjoys playing with other kids every chance she gets, and would love to go to preschool. A certain training needs to be mastered before she can go though since they don't want to be changing her bottom!
Olivia loves being a big sister and helps every chance she gets, even when Mommy doesn't need her to!
My favorite part now is that she really communicates with me. She tells me how she is feeling, or what she wants. Sometimes she'll just say, "Mommy, I love you." and while she sometimes means it, I think it is her default. She wants to talk, but has nothing to say.
I also am super proud to say that I can bargain eating one vegetable for another. She loves mushrooms, so I can say, eat your carrots/green beans, broccoli etc and then you can have more. (Helps that she likes veggies too!)
My baby is growing up too fast!!!

Duckies

2011-02-03T22:47:00.000-08:00

Some friends of ours, Mark and Lidia, gave Mommy two duckies as a belated Christmas gift. Mommy in turn has let Olivia believe they are her pets. We have yet to name them, but today Olivia got to give them a bath in the bathtub. We discovered that one of them likes to be sprayed with one of the squirt duckies and likes to be under the running water!
Hopefully the ducks will warm up to us more soon and Olivia will have some good friends!

I'm a Big Sister Now!

2011-01-28T22:58:00.001-08:00

I am a big sister to Eleanor Joyce! She cries sometimes and I try to make her happy. I get to hold her and feed her. At first I thought she was a doll, and Mommy had to show me otherwise. I am not sure I like being a big sister yet, but I am getting used to sharing Mommy and Daddy. They are being pretty patient with me too, but I still have some trouble controlling my emotions for now. It is tough being a big sister!

Far too long since we've posted.

2010-11-30T19:12:00.000-08:00

Olivia Moon is now almost 2 1/2. She is currently attacking Daddy while he washes dishes with spoon-daggers and being told to go bother Mommy. Thankfully our bundle of atomic energy ran singing into her bedroom or I would never get this done.

With Olivia's baby sister's birth fast approaching, we have been busy working on the bedroom they will share. Olivia now has bunk beds, and today we made a tent out of the bottom to read stories in. It is a little hard for Mommy to sit in there with the big pregnant belly, but Olivia loved it.

She is constantly asking me about the baby, and we have some pretty straight forward talks about pregnancy and how babies are born. It is all age appropriate mind you, but if left to her own devices she has thought both that the baby comes out of Mommy's belly button and out of Mommy's butt. I suppose both make sense since she knows she came out of Mommy's tummy (c-section), and of course solids come from the latter. Only liquids come from that other part right? :)

This may make some uncomfortable, but this is what I prefer to teach her. I am straight forward about body parts with names. We don't get into functions because she just doesn't understand and she really doesn't need the overload of information at this age.

I was getting out of the shower when Olivia said, "Baby come out your belly Mommy?"
"No, Olivia. You came from there (showing her my scar), but the baby will come out Mommy's vagina."
"Nooooooo." Said like I was telling her a tall tail.
"Yes, she will."
"Nooooooo!"
"Yes, I'm not lying to you. Mommy's uterus will squeeze and squeeze and then she'll come out."
"Ohhhhh." And she ran off to play.

A couple days later she tested this theory: "Baby come out your butt Mommy?"
"No, do you remember where Mommy says she'll come out?"
"Out your 'gina Mommy!"
"Yep, that's right."
"Okaaaay." and we continued getting ready for the day.

She is quite smart if you ask me. Once after saying that the baby was kicking me she said, "My baby is kicking me! Feel!" When I said, "Really? Do you have a baby in there?" She giggled and said she didn't like she was telling me a joke.

Olivia seems excited with the idea of the baby but I am sure once she is born it will be a different story for a while. I am sure we'll also be having some breastfeeding talks in the near future. For now though we are enjoying the last few weeks of "Mommy, Daddy & me" and working on using the potty like a big girl!

Exciting!

2009-12-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

She can count to 5! :)

The cute and difficult of my daughter:

2009-11-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

The cute: Walking across a parking lot holding hands... and then she starts kissing my hand. Muah sounds and all. Hearing her babble to the the tune of "The wheels on the bus" or "The Hokey Pokey". She also tries to sing the ABC's and H seems to be her favourite letter. :)
The difficult: Hitting and kicking, "NOOOOOO!", "MINE", and "DON'T" to name a few. The cute far outweighs the difficult though!

Talking and chores

2009-10-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while Mommy was sewing, Olivia watched from the seat next to me. After whining and growing impatient, she had a realization, looked up at me, raised her eyebrows and said, "All done?" :) Her first two word sentence!
Tonight she plainly came up and asked, "Cookie?" She wanted some nature valley bar.
Today she also got paid for the first time for doing "chores". This may seem pre-mature, but she thinks it is a great game. First she took her clothes and put them in the washing machine, closed the door and after Mommy put the soap in she pushed the button. She then received a quarter and promptly ran in and put it in her piggy bank. The other "chores" were putting her blankets back on her bed, her shoes back in the basket, her toys away, and the magnets on the refrigerator. She earned all the change in my pocket, one coin after each chore adding up to $1.18. She LOVES the piggy bank her Uncle Andrew gave her, so she loves putting the coins in it!
Olivia also loves going into Starbucks, getting a milk from the case, handing it to the cashier, giving them the money and then recieving the change. :) She is SO adorable. My beautiful little girl!!!

Meow Meow

2009-10-08T20:18:00.001-07:00

Meow

2009-10-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

Olivia stuck in the bathroom

2009-10-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Filoli and Talk Like A Pirate day

2009-09-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Words: Uh-oh, no, puppy, kitty, doggy, bubbles, mil(k), mommy, daddy, Nana, hello, bye bye, hey, "here-go" (Here ya go), mo(re).

Actions: Brushing teeth: Holding the brush under the water, letting us put the toothpaste on, "brushing" aka trying to suck the banana flavour off (we brush for her), she holds it under the water to rinse, taps to dry, and tries to put it back.
Follows directions like "Put it back." "Close / Open the door." "Bring me your shoes/doll/milk etc."
Tries to put on her own shirts or jackets, and sometimes her shoes. She wears daddy's shoes and tries to dress her dolls. She likes to play mommy, and pushes her doll around in a stroller, stops to check on her, gives her a kiss and starts again. She gives us kisses. Climbing has become a new favourite. She also likes to run and dance. Making messes has now become fun, so we are learning to clean up after ourselves. As I am writing that she is throwing raisin bran everywhere.

Photos by Olivia (look closely and you can see her in my glasses)

2009-07-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

Such a Big Girl

2009-05-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

Update on Olivia! Drum roll please....

She walks (hesitantly), talks ("uh-oh", "baby" and today she said, "hi!"), and gets into things! She eats what we eat and is drinking whole milk. She feeds herself and shakes her head "no" in protest. She plays hide and seek and has six teeth with more coming in. She is beginning potty training, and is learning to use a fork. She no longer uses a bottle or a pacifier but instead drinks out of a sippy cup and has even used a straw! She sleeps on her own (and has for quite some time) and all through the night. Olivia enjoys going to the park and playing in the sand, watching older kids, pushing her stroller, shouting in places that echo and chasing the cat, Frankie. She loves being outside and exploring - as long as she can see mommy or daddy! :)
She is terrified of the loud toilets in public restrooms, men with facial hair, sun glasses or hats - any combo of those is sheer terror for her. She still doesn't like green veggies - except for broccoli. She loves that. She cries when we leave the room, and doesn't want to be alone. This is a new phase for her. It is really separation anxiety.
Her birthday is coming fast, and she will one already! It has gone SO fast! Just today I was walking with her in the park. Her hand was all clammy, and she was taking so long to walk. I thought about scooping her up and carrying her, and then I remembered that all too soon I will lose getting to hold her hand like that - it is SO bittersweet. Well, I am about to go cuddle her while she sleeps - guerrilla snuggling!

January

2009-01-15T11:06:00.001-08:00

We are now in January, and Mommy has not updated in a while. Right now Olivia is busy playing with her toes, but some recent happenings are: she can sit up, crawl (though she'd rather try to get to standing), eat solids, and she has not one but two teeth (I found the second one yesterday!).
Her favourite food is Avocado though Marinara Sauce is a close second. She absolutely hates peas... and most green veggies come to think of it. (She literally gags!) She reaches for and holds her own bottle now - which is quite a task because we use the glass bottles, and they are heavy. She is best at it when reclining.
We have begun baby proofing everything because she is so much more mobile now. We lowered her crib and got an entertainment center... the center was free, and we thought the TV would fit, but it doesn't so now we need to get a smaller TV and either get rid of the old one or move it to the soon to be "family room". The breakables and the cords will all soon be hidden. I moved all of the medicines and personal hygiene products (razors, toothpaste, soap, etc) to the top shelves of the closet, and Jason has put plug covers on all of the plugs. Next we need to get the little "locks" for the cabinets. One I will leave without it, and have just a few pots and pans in. It is always fun for kids to play with those! She sure loves my measuring spoons!
She is changing every day. Just two days ago I went in to wake her up and I noticed she has enough hair now to have bed head! :)

Jumpy Baby.

2008-11-29T21:56:00.000-08:00

More Flying.

2008-11-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

Flying!

2008-11-19T18:54:00.000-08:00

Olivia thinks the Hiccups are really funny.

2008-11-19T10:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

2008-10-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sleep time Olivia!

Must eat the rattle!

I will tell that baby in the mirror off! Then I'll eat her face!

My toes are yummy!

Solids

2008-10-23T00:11:00.001-07:00

Mmmm - Rice Cereal!

K Mom - I'm done.

Photo Session!

2008-10-07T20:11:00.001-07:00

Baby Laughs

2008-09-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

Olivia started laughing! She laughed for Jason's Nana (her great grandma "Grammy" to her), and for Jen. Then she laughed at me when I made the sign for tree yesterday, and today she laughed a bit for Jason! She has also started "singing" in the car.
Now we are trying to ween off of the pacifier... a habit of three months are easier to break than those of a couple of years!

The sad faces of Olivia

2008-08-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

They tear at mommy's heart!

Tell me...

2008-08-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

How do you spit up on the left side of your body but get it on the right side of your head?

Pictures!

2008-08-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

Okay okay okay..... mommy is finally updating! First of all, Thank God for camera phones! We can't find our camera. Second of all, I have heard your cries - be prepared for photo-overload!
Olivia is growing so much! At her last appointment, she was 9 lbs 5 1/2 oz and 23 and a half inches long. She is still a super skinny girl - she must take after Daddy!
The biggest things to note: July 5th she smiled her first smile for my Aunt LeeAnn, last week she began crying and pausing to hear if I was coming.

Olivia the thinker. Look at those lips!

Daddy and the fuzzy Child, Frankie, who takes all the snuggle time he can get now.

I'm secure, I have my blankie, and I have my pacifier - ah - I'm safe.

Mommy is funny. (and mommy can't figure out how to get the underline to go away... and it may disappear when this is posted... darn blogger!)

More of those precious lips!

Daddy and Livie sleeping this morning.

All wrapped up as snug as a bug in the pirate quilt from Jen!

Doesn't she look like a bear or something?

Morning play time.

Big Smile!

I'm Shy.

Mom, Seriously, what is this thing?! I look... ADORABLE... ew.

Peek-a-boo!

Firsts... and lasts...

2008-07-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Olivia's cries are already changing... she is about 7 weeks old now. Instead of the 'Ah-wah Ah-wah' cries, she has a hungry cry and an "I'm warning you" cry... she even has one that covers everything else. She has begun cooing now and she had her first smile on the 5th of July. She smiled for my aunt LeeAnn. My parents were here last week. We went to Ikea and my dad was carrying her. She was watching over his shoulder and saw my mom come up, and she lit up and started smiling at her. In the mornings we play kick mommy and climb mommy mountain. Then we watch out the window and practice standing and bouncing. She loves bouncing and today when I was bouncing her, she started trying to bounce herself - another first. Then we went and took a shower, and she made faces at me and we cooed back and fourth. Yesterday we played in the bath, and she practiced kicking in the water. She used to make this adorable, yet pitiful little face before she began to cry. She pulls her upper lip in and her lower one sticks out and she would make one "Wah" and then do it again. It was heart wrenching, but SO sweet too. She doesn't do it anymore really, and that makes me sad, because I never got a picture of it. She is growing SO fast!

Mommy's Thoughts

2008-05-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

Olivia Moon is stirring now. She is only two days old now, but the time has already begun to run together. It seems longer. She is SO snuggly and soft. Breast feeding is an adventure, and while she is actually a pretty good suckler, we are both still learning. (She's rooting and crying for "the boob" now.) When she is nursing she opens her eyes, which are a dark blue / gray colour now, and she looks around. Her little eye lashes have grown out already.
-Amy

We had a ton of visitors today. My good friend Moon (where she gets her middle name), his wife Ellyn, Jeff, Wayne, Ashley and my parents came by today. Moon and Ellyn are in from Portland for a wedding and its a good excuse to see the baby. Moon, Jeff and Wayne were roommates in college, we don't reunite often enough. My parents stopped by on their way to San Francisco for their 28th wedding anniversary. They'll be dropping back in on Sunday on their way back home. Amy was more active today with more ease with getting into and out of bed and better overall mobility with a walk down the hall (see pic)
-Jason

Shes still here

2008-05-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Olivia is settling down now. Amy is really enjoying the feedings and finally getting to reap the rewards of the past 9 months. Olivia has a good set of lungs but it seems she only cries when she is hungry. We are super exhausted. Since she came so late last night, we didn't have a lot of time to settle in before the night started. Consequently, neither of us slept well. I did my first diaper change at oh, 1 AM, and at 2:45AM she had made another dirty. Well, I went to change this one and after I had got it open and started to clean I made the rookie mistake of removing the old diaper out from underneath her, she took this as her queue to empty her bladder all over her clothes and the bassinet, then to top it off she started wailing. The nurses have been extremely helpful in helping us learn and be comfortable as parents.
-Jason

She's Here!

2008-05-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

Announcing the birth of Olivia Moon Sutor!
She was born 5:43PM at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View and weighed 7lbs 5oz, 20 inches long. Her mom and dad are very proud.

Tonight

2008-05-28T13:31:00.001-07:00

I am nervous... Olivia is going to be born in about 4 hours... either the most intense hours of my life or a major surgery to make it happen... but either way - it is happening today.

Almost there!

2008-05-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Dr. Truneh says that Olivia's head is down, but she hasn't dropped yet. She said she'll drop in the next couple of weeks (that was on Thursday). We bought a house, and are hurrying to get it prepared for Olivia's arrival! It is a lot harder than one might think... soon though, soon it will be done, and soon you'll be seeing pictures of a new little girl on here! We're almost there!

Here because of the baby shower insert?

2008-02-29T12:05:00.000-08:00

For important registry information, please, refer to the post below made on January 14th!
Also, please note a few things:
1. Don't Feel Obligated to do Anything!
2. I would love to see you there, but if you cannot make it, I understand! This is just about having some fun!
3. I have TONS of clothes from 0-6 months. 6-12 months would be much more appreciated!
4. Please send a copy of or email a photo of yourself as a baby or young child when you RSVP. Don't show it to anyone, because it will be part of a game later!
5. See you there!

Pirate Kitty

2008-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

I saw these back when I first found out I was pregnant, but if we were going to have a boy, then I couldn't justify buying them for myself. When I finally found out it was a girl, three months later, I went back to get them, and they were no longer carried. I went to three Sanrio stores in search of these. Finally Natalie found the little one someplace, and picked it up for us! Yesterday Jason stopped at the Sanrio Outlet in Gilroy for me, and they had the large one! SO... introducing, Pirate Mimi aka Hello Kitty!

More baby things...

2008-02-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

Karla and I went to Macy's yesterday. There was a clearance sale, with 50% off of the clearance price. I had told myself after Goodwill, that I wouldn't get any more baby clothes... that was a lie. I found a few things I liked, and then KARLA PAID FOR EVERYTHING! I can't complain, because the clothes are so cute, but now we don't need any more baby clothes - at least they all need to be 6-9 months or 12 months and up. We got a lot of 3-6 yesterday. I am not going to include pictures of everything, because that would be too hard to do, BUT I will add some close ups.

There are four here, the Unicorn on the Butt. Cowgirl Boots. Very Hungry Caterpillar Onesie, and pirate overalls.

Dr's appointment and Baby Clothes

2008-01-23T14:17:00.001-08:00

First off, we have passed the half way point in the pregnancy. Doc says we are 22 weeks in. Hopefully I only will have one more blood test. These next 4 months will go by fast.

Okay now, every little girl "needs" amazingly cute and or adorable clothes! This is a no brainer! Here are a few things Olivia Moon will step out in during her first year!

The first picture is a dress my mother-in-law, Shirley, bought for her! Super cute long sleeved onesie and velvet dress!

The second is a first My First Christmas Onesie with the little footies! Also from Olivia's Nana.

Third are two super soft and warm "sweaters" I got at Kohl's for $3 a piece. These will be great for a Christmas in Nebraska!

Fourth we have an adorable cherry onesie - perfect for her first summer in the world!

Fifth and Sixth are St Patrick's day items. Hopefully they will fit (9 month size, and she should be 10 months old), if worse comes to worse, they get altered, saved, used on dolls or stuffed animals, or given to someone else. But hey, sporting the heritage isn't a bad thing!!!

Baby Crafts

2008-01-21T17:50:00.001-08:00

I have made a couple of paintings for Olivia's room. I have one more to do, and then the pictures will be put up here. One is a pirate ship, one is a snail, and I need to make the lady bug.
Recently I was browsing around the local Michael's and found some cute things. I went back today, and found some more, so here is a small sample of what I have done with crafts to make the baby's room feel cozy!

Baby Registries Complete!

2008-01-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

Last night we finished the registries. There are three of them. I couldn't come up with everything on one. Some had a better selection and some better prices or colours.
Anyway, here they are!
Please note that Babies "R" us always has a 15% off coupon available online. You just have to find it.
With Amazon, some orders over $25 have free super saver shipping.

Amazon.com
This list includes a lot of things. I added many fun items, but also, this is where the bulk of the little necessities are.
Gist of it:
-Onesies, Coveralls, dresses, winter clothes, socks, and costumes Sizes range from newborn to 24 months
-Bath toys, Tub, wash cloths and soaps
-Pacifiers 0 - 18 months
-fitted crib sheets and blankets
-books
-Baby Bjorn Potty training items (for infant potty training)
-place settings, glass (NOT PLASTIC) baby bottles, food storage, steamer etc
-Toys
-Safety products
-Decor
-Pack n go play pen
-Miscellaneous other items

Babies "R" Us
This one only has a few items. The reviews on this site are VERY helpful.
Gist:
-Swings (one portable)
-Booster high chair (preferred over a full size)
-Stroller, car seat and extra base
-teething items and sensory toys

Target
Gist:
-Dresser and hutch
-Organizational items (baskets and hangers)
-Swadlers, clothes (range of sizes), hooded towels, onesies and footies
-Thermometer and first aide items
-2 to go diaper changers (one for Jason's parents place)
-Toys
-White sheets and mattress pad
-Miscellaneous other items

Okay, I feel a sense of completion. All is well with the world!

Oh, and I got some things for the baby Saturday!

Made from Recycled Genetics

2008-01-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

A few people have suggested that we have a baby blog. This sounds like it could be a neat idea. Not that the baby will be blogging any time soon, but because some of you may just want to read all about the baby and forget mommy and daddy. That is fine with me!

I, Amy, am making baby registries at Amazon.com and Target. Please, don't feel that you have to get something for the baby!!! It is there for those people who want to buy the baby things. I won't argue with you if you choose to do this, but NEVER EVER feel obligated with doing things like this for us!

That said, let me explain some of the things. You all know me. I am not a normal person (though neither is Jason).

The themes for Olivia are pirates, snails and lady bugs. Nothing scary or ugly, just cute snails, lady bugs and baby or animal pirates. Included in a pirate theme are ocean/beach and tropical things. The pirates were inspired by a set of book ends I have that feature cute little teddy bear pirates running a ship. Nothing frightening, just teddy bears having an adventure!

There are tons of pirate things on the Amazon account. I am not raising my baby to be a scoundrel or something, I just have always enjoyed pirates. (my version is adventure searching for lost treasure in people and my world, as in looking for meaningful things rather than material - though sparkles are always pretty!)

There are a few items that say "Don't even think about buying" next to them. Seriously, don't buy those. They are on there because I like them, and I am personally looking for things that are similar or ways I can create one of my own. A couple of them are just there because they are cute. I know this doesn't make a lot of sense, but I would never pay $200 for a pirate ship rocking chair. I also would never pay $150 for a bed spread or $50 for a little lamp with the pricey bulbs. If you know me, I would rather create my own and be thrifty. More money saved means it can go toward other things! If you want to give me a blank lamp that I can glue things to, be my guest, but please - seriously, don't buy those.

ALSO, a lot of the clothes are big. I am doing this on purpose. If I have a good selection of clothes, the ones that are just a little too big in each stage can be pinned. This ensures that the clothes will be worn for much longer. There is no point in having 30 zero to three month old outfits. Babies grow fast. I just want to be practical!

There are also a LOT of books on there. Books can be cheap, and I like that, but also, it is very important to me (as a person studying child development) to introduce Olivia Moon to books as early as possible. That is why there are SO many board books on there. When she starts reaching for things, some of them can be those books. Those are the ones that are durable and good for exploring. Those are the ones she can drool on and be rough with - that is what they are made for! Early introduction is very important to me for her. Also, reading to her will be a must in our home.

Lastly, if there is something you REALLY want to get for Olivia Moon, then please, get it for her. I am not going to be upset because it wasn't on the list, I am not like that. I am very laid back. I know that you don't need to do anything and that you're wanting to is more than I could ever ask for. Thank you. Check back soon for links to the registries and pictures of things I have made!